Al technical title is built by PatSnap Al team. It summarizes the technical point description of the patent document.
a wheelchair and wide-scale technology, applied in the field of folding beach wheelchairs, can solve the problems of limited success, metal in such chairs corroding in salt air, wheelchairs and their additional parts sinking into the sand, etc., and achieves the effects of broad footprint, reduced resistance, and reduced resistan
Inactive Publication Date: 2005-03-22
WILLIAM PENN CHARTER SCHOOL
View PDF13 Cites 15 Cited by
Summary
Abstract
Description
Claims
Application Information
AI Technical Summary
This helps you quickly interpret patents by identifying the three key elements:
Problems solved by technology
Method used
Benefits of technology
Benefits of technology
The present invention provides a wheelchair comprising a seat, two rear wheels, two front skids and a frame onto which each of the seat, wheels and skids are mounted. Each front skid on the wheelchair comprises a skid body having within it a spring-loaded roller or a removable roller plate on which the wheelchair rests, creating little resistance while the wheelchair rolls on pavement or hard ground. In addition, the skid body provides a broad footprint to decrease resistance and to prevent sinking in sand, soft terrain or loose soil. Spring tension keeps the roller tight in its socket to prevent sand or soil penetrati
Problems solved by technology
With very limited success, wheelchairs have been adapted to access areas requiring travel over soft terrain, such as sand, loose soil and gravel.
However, such beach wheelchairs and their additional parts would invariably sink into the sand and get fouled and the metal in such chairs would corrode in the salt air.
Further, the front wheels or casters would sink into the sand anyway, dragging the user and her dignity down with them.
Compounding the indignity caused by immobile, corrosable and easily fouled beach wheelchairs, existing beach wheelchairs fold like an accordion and their frames often start folding on their own during the user's struggle to travel on the sand.
The wheelchairs thus fail to support the user properly and can thereby cause
Method used
the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
View more
Image
Smart Image Click on the blue labels to locate them in the text.
Viewing Examples
Smart Image
Click on the blue label to locate the original text in one second.
Reading with bidirectional positioning of images and text.
Smart Image
Examples
Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test
Embodiment Construction
A broad footprint beach wheelchair in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes several inventive improvements over the current state of the art. For example, a skid having a spring-loaded roller or removable roller plate comprises an improvement in wheelchair design, but is also inventive in its own right. The several drawing figures assist in describing some of the advantages of the present invention.
All ranges cited herein are inclusive and combinable.
As used herein, the term “roller plate” refers to a plate attachable to the bottom of a skid, as well as detachable therefrom, and providing a roller footprint.
Any off-the shelf beach seat that fits onto the wheelchair frame may be used, such as one having an aluminum tube frame. As the one or more than one slidable ledger in each side wing of the wheelchair frame can accommodate any size or width of commercially available beach seat, any such seat may be used and the seat may or may not comprise an ad...
the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to view more
PUM
Login to view more
Abstract
A wheelchair or a vehicle for sand or loose soil comprises one or more skids, each equipped with a spring-loaded roller or roller plate. Examples of the vehicle include a wheelchair and a planetary rover. Preferably, a beach, shower or pool wheelchair comprises two front skids in place of front wheels. The skids provide a resistance-free, broad footprint in the sand and a low-resistance narrow footprint when used on hard, e.g. boardwalk, surfaces. A wheelchair may further comprise a lightweight, easy to fold frame, which closes like a pair of eyeglasses. Still further, a wheelchair may provide a removable and reclining lounge chair seat to allow the user to exit the wheelchair to enter the water or sit and recline on the sand. In addition, dog bone or dumbbell shaped wheels provide the wheelchair strong, lightweight support and a wide footprint and can be equipped with grip notches for user self-propulsion. The inventive wheelchair provides the user with a combination of improvements, which respect the user's grace and dignity.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates to a vehicle for sand, loose soil or soft terrain equipped with a skid comprising a spring-loaded roller. In particular, the present invention provides a foldable beach wheelchair having a removable seat and two front skids, each comprising a spring-loaded roller or a removable roller plate which provide a low-resistance, broad footprint on the sand and a narrow, low resistance footprint on pavement, boardwalk or hard ground.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONWith very limited success, wheelchairs have been adapted to access areas requiring travel over soft terrain, such as sand, loose soil and gravel. Attempts at designing beach wheelchairs, in particular those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,641,850, to Rice et al., provided removable wide metal bands surrounding the propulsion wheels of the wheelchair so as to keep the wheels from sinking in the sand. However, such beach wheelchairs and their additional parts would invariably sink into the...
Claims
the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to view more
Application Information
Patent Timeline
Application Date:The date an application was filed.
Publication Date:The date a patent or application was officially published.
First Publication Date:The earliest publication date of a patent with the same application number.
Issue Date:Publication date of the patent grant document.
PCT Entry Date:The Entry date of PCT National Phase.
Estimated Expiry Date:The statutory expiry date of a patent right according to the Patent Law, and it is the longest term of protection that the patent right can achieve without the termination of the patent right due to other reasons(Term extension factor has been taken into account ).
Invalid Date:Actual expiry date is based on effective date or publication date of legal transaction data of invalid patent.
Inventor VOLK, MATTHEWALDERMAN, HOLLYBLUMENTHAL, KARL-RAINERCOOPERMAN, BENJAMINHENRY, DANAHERMAN, LAUREN A.JOHNSON, VINCENT L.MILLER, TARA M.O'KEEFE, PETER W.ORLOWITZ, DANIELPEET, JOHN S.ROUSE, WILLIAM E.SCARPATO, VICTOR W.SPERLING, JOSHUASUWAY, JEFFREYZEGLINSKI, JOHN Z.GRANGER, RANDY W.